Bereaved parents demand to appear before government in bid to avert release of hundreds of terrorists as part of Shalit deal; letter compares deal to Munich Agreement between Britain, Nazi Germany

Ynet reporters|Published: 21.12.09 , 16:35

Bereaved parents hoping to stop the release of terrorists in an exchange deal for
captive soldier Gilad Shalit are demanding to meet with the forum of seven senior ministers before they make a decision on the deal.

"We demand to speak before the ministers who spoke at the open graves of our children and swore not to repeat the mistakes of the past, before they vote on the execution of a deal," the parents said.

Tense day for Noam and Aviva Shalit (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Two representatives of the Haifa bereaved fathers' organization the "Three Fathers," Yossi Mendelevitch and Dov Sion, made their way to the Prime Minister's Office in order to deliver their letter to him.

In their letter, the bereaved fathers compare the agreement to the Munich Agreement signed by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with Hitler's Nazi Germany in March 1938, which permitted German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland.

"Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a historic move that will determine his fate – will he be remembered as one who led a line of security for his citizens, or will he be eternally disgraced as one who gave in to the enemies of the State and abandoned his citizens to the mercy of terror organizations?" The parents wrote.

"Netanyahu must not repeat the critical mistakes of the past. Anyone who is willing to give in should study the Chamberlain affair; his submission led to the outbreak of the Second World War. Netanyahu is about to surrender to Hamas and enable the next kidnapping and the next war," the letter continued.

'Running towards abyss'

In their letter, the parents claim that all parties involved in the deal know that it is not good for Israel. "Anyone can see that we are walking, or running, with our eyes wide open towards the abyss, with some of us wishing to stop and some of us hoping to make it to the bottom alive…Not everyone will remain alive after such an adventure, which the Israeli government is imposing on its citizens."

At the end of the letter the parents make their demand to have their voices heard before a decision is made: "The ministers must understand the meaning of their decisions, they must face us and hear what the families who have lost their children in terror attacks are going through, terror attack the likes of which are in store for us with the release of murderers in a deal."

"It is basic decency that we be allowed to express our opinion before those who are slated to determine our fate and the fate of our children."

The bereaved parents made a several attempts in recent weeks to delay a deal that would include the release of terrorists, including a failed petition to the High Court of Justice, as well as personal attacks on Prime Minister Netanyahu.